New Jersey Fishing Report
Tackle World in Rochelle Park said things are quiet on the blackfishing front this week. Most of the fishing action is reserved to local freshwater ponds and some of the trout streams, where anglers are catching on nightcrawlers, micro-plastics and spoons. There are rumblings of some good white perch fishing in the backwaters too, but participation is down with the frigid temps earlier this week and now, snotty weather.
TAK Waterman in Long Branch said there’s not much going on this week besides a few guys catching schooled-up crappie in the local lakes and white perch in the back bays. Small soft plastics and curly tail grubs have been working well for both. A few of their employees saw some birds working out front on the way in to work this week, and while it looked like there may be some resident fish under them, there weren’t many anglers out there making the effort for stripers in the surf. At this point in the season, everybody has pretty much thrown in the towel. With show season officially underway, make note of the fishing expos you want to attend this winter. TAK will be at the New England Saltwater Fishing Show hosted by the Rhode Island Saltwater Anglers Association (RISAA) in Providence, RI, from March 8-10, and more immediately, at the New England Fishing Expo in Marlborough, MA, from February 2-4.
Fisherman’s Den in Belmar said things have been quiet up until yesterday when the Ocean Explorer got out for a decent day of fishing for cod and blackfish. The Big Mohawk didn’t sail due to low participation numbers, but the Ocean Explorer managed to put together a steady pick of tog. The most notable catch of the day was the one 11-pound blackfish that came over the rail. The Ocean Explorer will be sailing as long as anglers keep booking and conditions keep looking up.
Ted at The Reel Seat in Brielle said fishing has been slow aside from the few boats picking away at blackfish on the reefs. He mentioned there are some small bass working beneath birds in the surf in the mornings, although nobody seems to be going after them. Otherwise, the best bet for some action will be fishing for pickerel and perch with live killies in the ponds.
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Kyle Tangen at Fishermen’s Supply in Point Pleasant Beach said blackfishing is where it’s at right now. A handful of boats got out yesterday and reported lots of short life, but some of the headboat are still pulling decent fish on jigs and rigs. It’s not fast action but there are some quality tog out there keeping things interesting. He added that bass can still be caught locally out front in the winter, although they’re pretty structure oriented, so fishing around the jetty tips is a great place to start the search for some late January bass. Because they tend to be small, resident fish, 3- to 4-inch soft plastics like Storm Shads, as well as small swimming plugs, are some of the top producers. On the sweetwater side of the coin, freshwater activity is looking up this week after some mild weather moves through and thaws out the ponds. Tangen said he always finds winter to be one of the best times to go freshwater fishing for crappie and bass. He recently sent a young customer out and told him to fish with crappie magnets beneath a bobber, and after catching a handful of crappie, the boy returned to the shop eager to stick a few largemouth. There’s good action in the ponds if you downsize offerings and fish the deeper water around submerged structure and transition areas.
Capt. Danny Gregory on the Norma K III out of Point Pleasant Beach said they’ve been out finding lots of short life when the weather allows, but keepers have not been nearly as plentiful. For the last week and a half, the largest fish have been around 8 pounds and there haven’t been many of them. They’re fishing for the rest of the month when the conditions are right, and then the boat it out of the water through February for inspections. There’s still time to stick a couple keepers before they pull the boat, so book your trips ASAP.
Ray Kerico at Grumpy’s Bait and Tackle in Seaside Park said that it’s quiet on the fishing front but noted that his buddy was catching some quality blackfish on the deeper wrecks last week before the conditions went south and the wind picked up. He hopes to get back out there when the wind lays down, especially with this spell of mild winter weather around the corner. Ray added that Grumpy’s is having their winter sales event this weekend with some unadvertised sales going on in store, as well as seminars beginning at 9:30 a.m. in Yakkity Yaks Kayak Center next door. Local plug builder Scabelly will be in attendance on Saturday, and the doors open at 7 a.m.
Creekside Outfitters in Waretown reported that only a few local guys are catching perch in the back bays this week as the wind and weather hasn’t allowed room for much else. They don’t have grass shrimp at the moment, but the perch have been willing to take bloodworms on baited rigs and jigs.
Best Bets for the Weekend
Hold on to hope for low winds and more mild weather. The ponds are thawed (or thawing), so largemouth bass, crappie, pickerel and more will be looking to feed once the skim ice melts off.
There are handful of headboats still going out for blackfish, and it sounds like the deeper wrecks are holding the best action from keepers. Check out which boats are still running in your area and book a trip ASAP.
There may be some resident stripers scattered in the surf, and with temperatures reaching the mid to upper 40s, it wouldn’t be a bad time to toss on the waders and make a few casts around your local jetties and inlets. Remember, backwater bass season is closed until March, but white perch are slowly making their presence known for anglers fishing with small soft plastics and/or rigs tipped with bloodworms.